Heather Mason
Heather Mason, also known as Cheryl Mason, is the main protagonist of Silent Hill 3 video game. She is the first female protagonist of the Silent Hill video games series. She is the reincarnation of Cheryl Mason and Alessa Gillespie and adoptive daughter of Harry Mason. Being chased by the Order, she is forced to fight her own way out of this nightmare. When she discovers her father is murdered by Claudia Wolf, the leader, Heather goes to Silent Hill to seek vengeance. She evetually gone back being called Cheryl and appeared in Shattered memories as Cheryl Heather Mason as the true protagonist. Appearance Heather has dyed blonde hair which is chin-length and layered with side swept bangs covering her right eye. Her hair is somewhat disheveled and shaggy. Her natural hair color is brunette, like Alessa's or Cheryl's. Her hair has been bleached and dyed blonde, and her dark roots are showing. Heather doesn't usually wear make-up. Freckles and blemishes can be seen on her face, arms, and legs. The skin around her eyes is sometimes portrayed as pink and reddish, giving the impression that she has been crying or is teary-eyed. She also sometimes has slightly dark eye bags which give her an exhausted weary tired look. The creators of the game were attentive as to how "her Heather's eyes spoke to the player," as they wanted to convey a feeling of anger and exhaustion. Shingo Yuri, the game's character designer, stressed that he wanted to retain the essence of physical flaws that are seen in Silent Hill characters, attributing to their attraction and appreciation by the player. Shingo continued to say that Heather was "no exception" to this, stating that although she was portrayed as a strong-willed character, she was still just a teenager, and her facial features were instrumental in portraying a heavy burden weighing down on the shoulders of a youth. Her default outfit is an orange, sleeveless turtleneck under a white, hooded vest with four front pockets used to hold a flashlight and ammo, and a dark green denim miniskirt. After sobbing on her father's bloody corpse, her vest remains bloodied for the remainder of the game. She also wears tall brown boots, a digital wristwatch, and orange wristbands on each arm. After completing the game, a new option is unlocked on the main menu which enables the player to input codes for alternate outfits. In the PlayStation 2 version, many of them have gaming magazine logos. Most of the outfits consist of different colored tank tops and jeans. Unfortunately, the PC version (excluding PS2 emulation) and the Silent Hill HD Collection lack 14 of these outfits. One unique outfit of Heather's is the "God of Thunder" outfit which changes a few aspects of Heather: her hair is silver, her eyes are vivid blue with one appearing bruised, her face has a bloody cut, her lips are gray, and her arms, palms and collarbone are tattooed. Her fingers also have symbols on them. Her tank top is inspired by Raijin in Japanese mythology, and she wears light brown jeans, a blue choker, and dark blue wristbands. Another unique outfit is "Transform." It can be accessed by using a key which shows up in Heather’s inventory after the start of an extra new game. In a very satirical Sailor Moon-esque scene, Heather will change into her "Princess Heart" costume. Heather has headphones, a heart choker, a white dress adorned with pink hearts, long red gloves, and blue boots with stars. It also allows access to a powerful beam-like attack when no weapon is equipped, the "Sexy Beam". Personality Heather is a seemingly normal and carefree girl who loves to shop. She has a few rough edges and tends to be blunt with others. One trait of Heather is that she is moody and loses her temper quite easily at things that frustrate her, which are considered normal traits for a teenager. Heather has a sharp tongue and can be very snarky, sarcastic and humorous such as her "joke" to Douglas in the normal ending. No longer a child yet not quite an adult yet either, she still bears childish conceit and naïveté. Heather is still vulnerable, as there are moments when she can be quite sensitive and emotional. In Silent Hill 3, Heather experiences vicissitudes and is a scared, stressed, exhausted and frightened teenager struggling to realize her identity (Alessa) and find her place in the world. She adapts rather remarkably to the disturbing spectacles she finds on her journey. Upon discovering a bloody corpse covered by newspapers, she says she feels her ordeal has numbed her senses. Her bravery and nonchalant reaction to various creatures and horrors late in the game, forged by her resolve later all point to a rather feisty and hot-headed temperament. Nevertheless, hidden in her heart is a great source of kindness. Heather views suffering as a natural, and sometimes unavoidable, part of life, yet doesn't like the idea of Claudia Wolf hurting and killing people to achieve her goals, as seen during their heated arguments. This shows that she has a strong sense of "justice", further proven by her statement when she examines Vincent Smith's corpse, mentioning that while she hated him, she felt like his death was unfair. In the One Stop Imports, Heather can find cash scattered on a desk, though she chooses not to take them, saying she's "no thief", implying she is not greedy and doesn't really care about money, or at least feels strongly about taking things that don't belong to her, making it another example of her strong sense of justice. Heather has a great love for her father, as he raised her on his own. She jumps to Harry's defense when Vincent criticizes him. When Harry dies, she is completely distraught. After Harry's death, there is a very noticeable change in Heather's personality. She gradually becomes reflective and somber. If Heather examines a movie poster in her room, she comments, "I always liked that line, but now it just seems stupid," regarding staying hopeful in despair. Heather begins to turn to Douglas Cartland as a guardian surrogate, since she feels that he is the only one she can trust, in contrast to Vincent and Claudia. They develop a bond and Douglas even tells her that she reminds him of his dead son, to which Heather, visibly moved, replies, "Well, maybe if you'd compared me to your daughter..." Their bond grows on their way to Silent Hill and later on after she finds him injured at Lakeside Amusement Park. Heather begins the game with a switchblade already in her inventory, and if it is examined, she comments, "I know it's terrible, but I just love walking around with this." She also owns a stun gun, a gift from her "worrywart dad", although she doesn't usually carry it with her because of its bulkiness. Upon finding the shotgun, she states that it's "gross", implying that she is not a fan of weapons, but is willing to use them to survive. Regarding hobbies and interests, like Alessa, Heather also seems vaguely interested in literature as she references Edgar Allan Poe's The Black Cat, and can quote William Shakespeare's Macbeth, though she considers Romeo and Juliet "sentimental slop". In the subway, an article on the paranormal can be read on the ground. When Heather inspects it, she mentions she read it before and thought it seemed like a "bunch of crap", but admits she would read it for fun, implying an interest with the paranormal despite not believing in it. If the silver pipe is examined, Heather makes a comment about how it would be good against vampires and werewolves. She also makes a nod to a horror film while in the construction site, stating that she wished she hadn't watched it in her current situation. These things could hint to her being a horror fan. Heather also may be interested in dolls and cute things as she has a doll in her room she found at a garage sale. In the Hilltop Center Otherworld, Heather will refuse to pick up a pack of cigarettes, saying that she "quit for good", implying she used to smoke. During the car ride with Douglas, Heather implies she knows what a hangover feels like, implying she drinks alcohol. This could mean she has a rebellious and mischievous side, as Harry probably wouldn't want his Cheryl smoking and drinking to the point of having hangovers. At the beginning of the game, if the player examines the mirror in the mall bathroom, Heather mentions that she dislikes mirrors as she feels her reflection is some sort of a false image. Heather says, "I don't like mirrors. It's almost like there's an unknown world right on the other side. And the person staring at me isn't really, just an imitator."''Heather's mild spectrophobia (fear of mirrors) is emphasized by the fact that the mirror in her bedroom is covered, and she doesn't have a mirror in her bathroom at home. The game's infamous scene in the mirror room at Brookhaven Hospital is Heather's fear becoming a reality. Her spectrophobia may be caused due to her subconscious understanding of who she really is and what she has the potential to become, even though it takes quite some time in the game for her to begin recalling her past as Alessa. Many spectrophobics claim they fear mirrors as they are a "portal to look into the soul." Heather also has an aversion to fire (pyrophobia) because she was burned as Alessa. As the game progresses, it is implied that Alessa's original personality traits and memories surface in Heather, though Heather considers herself and Alessa separate beings. Heather's possible beliefs or non-beliefs are ambiguous. Heather appears to be very irreligious or anti-religious, possibly atheist or agnostic, saying that she doesn't care about Claudia's visions of "God" and "Paradise". The official strategy guide claims Heather occasionally expresses a deep disgust regarding religion. Heather's possible apathy or disdain of God and religion is understandable considering the hell Alessa went through for seven years. Whether or not Heather extends this indifference to other religions besides the Order is unknown. Upon examining her home phone, Heather comments she can't reach the "police or the church", perhaps implying she views them as trustworthy. However, it's also possible she just needs a group to help with Harry's burial since it is his funeral/burial after all, not hers. One of her comments is, "God, I hate hospitals... Not that I like churches much, either." Quotes * ''"What a nightmare..." * "Okay, I will. I love you too, Dad." * "A detective? Really? ...Well, nice talkin' to ya." * "My daddy always told me not to talk to strangers... I'm not interested." * "Are you still following me? Do I have to scream?" * "I don't like mirrors. It's almost like there's an unknown world right on the other side. And the person staring at me isn't really me, just an imitator. I know how stupid that sounds, but that's how I feel. But if I keep thinking about it, it just makes me feel sick." * "Stay back! Get the hell away from me!" (to a Closer) * "What the hell is this thing?!" (about a Closer) * Claudia: "I am Claudia." Heather: "SO. WHAT." * "Is this a dream? It's gotta be... not even a kid could believe in this... but when am I gonna wake up?" * "Ugh, forget it! This is way too gross. Who would even think of doing something so disgusting?" * "Who the hell would make something like this? Furthermore, who the hell would eat it?" * I don't really feel like eating and drinking stuff from an alternate reality, OK?" * "Why would there be a stretcher here? And who's this sleeping on it? Oops - not sleeping. Dead." * "The phone doesn't work. Well, we all have our hopes. Wish I could get ahold of Dad." * "All I know is that things are getting really screwy around here and I got a weird feeling it's got something to do with me." * Douglas: "What should I do?" Heather: "Hell if I know..." * "Don't talk about my dad like that!" * "Enjoy? I feel like I'm going crazy! Doesn't this place get to you at all?" (to Vincent about the Otherworld) * "A dog figurine. It looks real enough to bite." * "There's no letter... from a dead wife or otherwise. Well, I don't have one of those anyway." (A reference to James and Mary Shepherd-Sunderland, upon examining a mailbox) * "What's this doing here! That really pisses me off." (finding a Halo of the Sun in her apartment) * "I'll kill you, you bitch!" (in the HD Collection only) * "Did YOU do this?! But why?! Why!? ...I'll GET YOU for this!" (to Claudia after Harry's death) * "It's locked. That bitch....!" * "Calm down?! How am I supposed to do that?! My father is dead! He's murdered! Get out! This is all your fault! If it weren't for you..." * "I'm sorry, Dad..." * "I don't know what kind of hell is waiting for me there, but I've got no other choice. I don't care about God or Paradise... If that's what she believes, then fine. But she won't get away with what she did. When I find her, I'll kill her myself." * "Dad..... why did you have to die? You told me you were the strongest man in the world... Liar..." * "I guess it wasn't much of a 'god' if it could be killed by a human being..." * "He loved me just like I was his very own daughter... even though he didn't know who or what I was. It was so sudden... I never had a chance... to tell you... to tell you how happy you made me." * "A picture of a flower in a vase. Nice, but... whatever." * "Disgusting. I won't touch that with a 10-foot pole." (regarding Stanley's doll) * "But you're wrong, it's not my birthday..." * "Yeah, sure. Go ahead and think whatever you want. I mean that I don't think the way you guys do. I don't want any part of that kinda paradise." (to Leonard) * "*sigh* Is every person here a mental case? Well, I guess YOU'RE not a 'person' anyway..." (to Leonard) * "Is Danny the doll? Or is Danny that hanging thing? Oh well, whatever. No biggie..." * "You... you old fool! Getting yourself hurt like that..." (to Douglas) * "C'mon. How powerful can a god from a dump like this be? I'm sure it'll be no big deal." * "You think you're Superman or something?" * "I just came by to make sure you were still alive." * "Don't die on me, okay?" * "Alessa... I guess it's kinda strange for me to call you that, since you are me. But y'know what? "You" and I don't think alike, after all... And it's not that I don't remember that sick room either..." * Heather "You self-righteous witch! No one asked you to help!" Claudia: "God is growing within you. You despise me, don't you?" Heather: "You're DAMNED RIGHT I do!" Claudia: "That's good." * "24 years ago, Mo... Dahlia used me to summon God. God was in my womb, but I couldn't deliver Her. Then I was shut up her in this hospital room. I stayed here until Dad helped me out when I was 14. "God" ate away at me from within, driving me mad with suffering. There I was, wishing I could just die and be done with it... But I went on living that nightmare for seven years. Looking at this bed just reminds me of those awful days. But I don't want to remember them. Because I'm not Alessa anymore... But Alessa is still me. I'm not really trying to deny it or anything... I just... don't want to remember." * "Well, it brings back memories, but not very pleasant ones." (examining Alessa's school desk) * "What a tiny chair! I can't sit in it anymore. Thank God..." (examining Alessa's school chair) * "This is a picture of a wolf. It looks like a dog, but it says "WOLF" and everything, so..." * "It's a handout with "Our Classroom Resolutions" written on it. Hmph. Doesn't say anything about abandoning your friends or scribbling on the desks." * "Nothing important here. It's not that I'm not concerned, but I choose not to be right now. If I fretted over every damn thing, I would have serious mental overload." (examining stretcher outside Claudia's room) * "This crazy mixed-up world has got me used to the strangest things." * "I feel like I'm gonna go crazy myself sooner or later. I might even already be crazy. Who knows?" * "God, I hate hospitals... Not that I like churches much, either." * "But a God born from hatred can never create a perfect paradise!" * "And save you too? Happy ending? I'd rather go to Hell." * "Shut your stinking mouth, bitch!" * "Looks like God didn't make it!" * "You can't be dead, I was going to kill you!" * "This is God...?" * "Is that the end? I guess it's time to roll the credits." (Heather starts to cry) "Dad... Dad... Dad! Dad... Dad... Dad..." * "You don't have to call me that. I'm not hiding anymore... Cheryl. The name my father gave me." * "I don't know. Don't you think blondes have more fun?" * "Oh, Dad! You're the coolest!" (Seeing Harry doing a flying kick) Trivia * Gecco created a Heather figurine. Her recreation includes realistic skin with freckles and moles. The base is Lakeside Amusement Park in the Otherworld, made of wire mesh and steel plate with a bizarre atmosphere created by painting the base abstractly on the concrete sculpture. Three types of weapons are included: the standard Handgun, steel pipe, and Beam Saber. * Heather can be associated with the color orange, seen on her turtleneck and wristbands. In Japanese culture, orange is symbolic of happiness and love. This could be symbolic of Heather's love for Harry, and the happiness he gave her. This would contrast to Alessa's blue, and Heather receiving the happiness and love that Alessa never had. * Heather's Transcience outfit says in Japanese: ** On the front, there are 8 Hiragana letters. What is recognizable is: _の_の_の_し. Unfortunately, due to the low-resolution textures, it is difficult to decipher the rest. ** On the back, "shogyou mujou" (諸行無常 in Kanji), meaning "the impermanence/transience of things". * The first sketches of Heather portrayed her as an "innocent" type of character. The development team realized that she seemed too "nice" and Heather was inspired by Sophie Marceau and Charlotte Gainsbourg to give her an attitude. * During Heather's development, there was a clash of masculine and feminine thinking among Heather's designers. Shingo Yuri, the character designer who was male, imagined Heather as wearing jeans. However, the female team members of Team Silent thought that Heather should show her legs to look more feminine and pretty. They convinced Yuri and as a result, Heather was given sex appeal in a very discreet way. * Heather's hair was very debated on. Initially, her hair was more natural and less elaborate, but the female team members thought that curly hair would be more suitable for a young girl. Heather was given shorter hair for the convenience of video games: it would have taken more processing power of the PlayStation 2 to create longer realistic hair. The game designers used the processing power towards increasing monster numbers instead. It is also noted that shorter hair has the benefit of being more practical in dangerous situations. * One aspect of Heather is her relative realism in terms of both character design and personality compared to other video games prior to and around 2003. Freckles and blemishes can be seen on her face, arms, and legs. She has a female physique, though not one of overt sexuality, concealed by a white hooded vest. Heather also displays minimal archetypal "damsel in distress" style behavior and lacks a romantic love interest. The joke UFO ending claims Heather/Cheryl divorced and is a "young mom who goes it alone" with two children. * This is ironically subverted in her Revelation film adaptation, which gives her a boyfriend (Vincent) and includes several scenes of her panicking and screaming. * Heather makes an appearance in Dance Dance Revolution Extreme for the PlayStation 2 in the song "You're Not Here". She is seen walking through a white, empty space and sitting on a wheelchair. After a scene of her in the car with Douglas, she is seen singing inside the shopping mall and appearing in various places throughout the game. * In early promotions and the back of the game's cover, she was given the name Heather Morris, the name of her voice actress. This is possibly an error since Heather "Morris" is never seen anywhere else. Even if Morris is a fake surname she used as a disguise, Heather/Cheryl's true surname would still be Mason. * Another theory is that it was done to prevent spoilers for Silent Hill 3 before its release as "Heather Mason" is a spoiler. * Heather is the first female primary character in the Silent Hill series, as opposed to a side story or spin-off entry. * Heather has the most numerous death scenes of any Silent Hill''protagonist, including being hit by a subway car, jumping off a moving train, being drowned by a sewer monster, being covered by the blood in the mirror room, being struck by a roller coaster, being killed by a ceiling trap in the haunted mansion, being killed by the red mist in the haunted mansion, being killed by toxic gas on the carousel, and dying while giving birth to God. ''Silent Hill 3 is also the only Silent Hill game in which the protagonist can die by falling down a hole. Alex Shepherd also has plenty of death scenes, though not as many as Heather. * If the player waits, Heather will sigh and crouch after being tired of standing. * Occasionally, Heather will "break the fourth wall" of awareness and back-sass the player for making certain, incorrect decisions. For example, if the player tries to enter the insect hallway after using the insecticide with the fan off, Heather says, "I don't particularly want to die!" * Heather has the ability to tie a strong knot, proven when she uses the rope to descend the elevator in Hilltop Center * While wearing the Princess Heart costume, if Heather fights the Insane Cancer in the Otherworld Hilltop Center (in the room with the Pork Liver), it will speak Japanese in a robotic voice. Heather will speak Japanese when attacked or killed, and if Heather swings the maul, she makes a very comical war cry. It is currently unknown if this occurs anywhere else. * Like Alessa, Heather exhibits some supernatural abilities during the game, such as having a premonition about visiting Lakeside Amusement Park and detecting the Otherworld shifts. After defeating God, she also detects a presence, which is the wail of a newborn according to creator Masahiro Ito, that is invisible and inaudible to the player. However, Heather never manifests Alessa's darker abilities, such as telekinesis and the ability to kill with her mind. * If the voice that phones Heather in the locker room in Brookhaven Hospital can be trusted, her complete being, Alessa, is 31 years old by the time of Silent Hill 3. However, the voice later congratulates her for her 24th birthday, creating confusion for the player. If the ages of Heather (17) and Cheryl (7) are added together she is 24. Adding Alessa's age (14) to Heather's age (17) is where 31 comes from. * In the Book of Lost Memories, Heather is referred to as "The Fool", which is the number 0 (also can be stated as the number 22) of the Major Arcanas in a Tarot Deck, most likely due to the main concept of the Tarot card which states that the man walks unconcernedly straight into an abyss and is confident of his cleverness, in a similar fashion to Heather's attitude towards her fate. * Heather will make comments about flowers or plants throughout the game; this may be a reference to her name's meaning: "flowering plant". There are also photos of flowers in her room. When her father dies, Heather decides to place a bundle of lilies on his body. She also lives in the "Daisy" Villa Apartments. * The player may unlock Silent Hill 2 references in Silent Hill 3. In it, Heather makes a jab at James Sunderland for putting his hand into a toilet, and notes there's no letter from a dead wife in her mailbox, "Well, I don't have one of those anyway." * Heather's original design was later given to Elle Holloway, a character in Silent Hill: Homecoming. Early designs for Elle depict her with a hairstyle that resembles Heather's, although Elle was originally intended to be Laura from Silent Hill 2. * "Heather" became Cheryl's middle name in her Silent Hill: Shattered Memories incarnation. In Cheryl's mugshot, her clothing has a strong resemblance to Heather's. * One poster for Revelation shows Heather in a wheelchair being pulled by a nurse, which is identical to one of Heather's artworks for Silent Hill 3. 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